Eric Heberling & Unknown Composer(s) – The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall OST (1996)

January 19, 2021

Is it possible for a soundtrack to be OP? Like, there’s a mood for every occasion here. Are you exploring the wilderness, a dungeon, a desert, or a quaint village? Daggerfall got a tune for that, yo.

My post on the game of Daggerfall will follow at some point, where I will go more in depth into what I think is the philosophy one needs to apply when playing a 24 year old RPG. But I will say, it is no secret to how fucking goddamn huge this game is, and this is the huge soundtrack that accompanies it. Its no easy feat, having a soundtrack that won’t get old on a game that could technically last you forever, but the unique atmosphere of dread and exploration (in equal measure no less) is the perfect companion piece. Shit, walk up a mountain IRL and chuck this on as you do. You’ll feel like you forgot to pack your staff and pipe.

These days, Elder Scrolls is synonymous with the works of Jeremy Soule, and rightly so, his compositions are glorious, but there is something about the lo fi madness in Daggerfall’s songs that is endearing. Sometimes music nerds and vinyl purists argue over the pros and cons of a stereo or mono mix of a classic recording, here they bicker over which soundcard renders the MIDI best; are you a Roland guy or no? There’s also some Daggerfall OST remasters, but these are almost universally shat on for stripping away the atmosphere of the originals.

What I wouldn’t give for a physical copy of this, on something like a cassette. The analogue warmth would lend itself beautifully to such a piece of work. Then again, it might make me break out my installation and fall back into the massive, misty world of Daggerfall, and I’m afraid if I go back again, I may never leave.